Detergent dispenser



Nov. 12, 1957 HQE. KARIG DETERGENT DISPENSER F11-ed April 11, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NQV. 12, 1957 H, E, KARlG DETERGENT DISPENSER Filed April 11, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 e A IE.. E C A e/s E/Ecw, Isr/se Mee/S.

United States Patent psud DETERGENT DISPENSER Horace E. Karig, Pasadena, Calif., assigner to Waste King Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application April 11, 1955, Serial No. 569,387

13 Claims. (Cl. 222-130) The present invention relates in general to dispensers and, more particularly, to a detergent dispenser for washing equipment, the invention being considered herein in connection with dishwashing equipment as a matter of `convenience with no intention of limiting the invention thereto. Also, while the invention has been described as relating to a detergent dispenser, it will be understood that it may be utilized for dispensing various solid or liquid materials other than detergents, such as soaps, water softening compounds, or .other materials.

in an automatic dishwasher, it is necessary to load the detergent dispenser with detergent prior to initiating operation of the dishwasher so as to provide fully automatic operation, the detergent being utilized during the washing cycle to aid in removing food waste from the dishes and in thoroughly cleansing same. However, prior to the washing cycle, it is desirable to rinse the dishes so as to rem-ove therefrom any food waste which will come off relativeiy easily, thereby minimizing contamination of the washing solution subsequently used to cleanse dishes thoroughly. Consequently, in order to preserve the detergent in the detergent dispenser for use during the subsequent washing cycle, it is necessary to prevent the discharge of the detergent into the dishwashing chamber during the aforementioned prerinsing cycle.

in view of the foregoing, a primary object of the invention is to provide a detergent dispenser which may be loaded with detergent prior to initiating operation of the dishwasher, and which will not discharge the detergent into the dishwashing chamber or vat during the initial prerinsing cycle, but which will discharge the detergent into the dishwashing chamber during the subsequent washing cycle.

More particularly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a detergent dispenser which will not discharge detergent into the dishwashing chamber' until the washing cycle even where the prerinsing cycle is carried out by the agitator utilized to propel the washing solution over the dishes during the washing cycle. In other words, the detergent dispenser of the invention preserves the detergent until the washing cycle even when the initial prei rinsing cycle constitutes power prerinsing of the dishes, as contrasted to overhead spraying of the dishes for prerinsing purposes, power prerinsing being much more effective than prerinsing by means of an overhead spray,

Considering the invention now more specifically, an obiect thereof is to provide a detergent dispenser which includes a detergent receptacle having' a cover, means for maintaining the cover in its closed position during the prerinsing cycle, and means for moving ythe cover to its open position 'after the prerinsing cycle.

Another object is to provide a dispenser which includes a normally closed detergent receptacle, and which includes means for opening the detergent receptacle after the prerinsing cycle by varying the relative amounts of water in two pivoted tanks so as to imbalance the tanks after the prerinsing cycle.

viin-.other object is to provide two pivoted tanks each Patented Nov. l2, 1957 having an inlet and one having an outlet for draining therefrom, the two tanks receiving water through their inlets during the prerinsing cycle, and the water draining from one of the tanks through its outlet after the prerinsing cycle so as to imbalance the tanks and open the detergent receptacle to make the detergent therein available for the washing cycle.

Another object is to provide a detergent dispenser which includes a pivoted structure comprising a detergent receptacle and two tanks each having an inlet and one having an outlet for drainage therefrom, this structure becoming unbalanced after the prerinsing cycle, because of drainage from one of the tanks through its outlet, to invert the structure. A related object is to provide the detergent receptacle with a pivoted cover which opens automatically under the influence of gravity upon inverting of the pivoted structure after the prerinsing cycle, thereby making the detergent in the detergent receptacle available for the washing cycle.

Another object is to provide the tank having the outlet with a larger capacity than the other tank so that the pivoted structure is always biased toward its upright position, a related object being to provide a stop engageable with the pivoted structure to prevent pivoting thereof beyond its upright position.

Another object is to provide a detergent dispenser wherein the detergent receptacle is located between the two tanks, and wherein the pivoted structure comprising the detergent receptacle and the two tanks is pivotable about an axis between and adjacent the bottoms of the tanks so that it will pivot into an inverted position upon unbalancing of the tanks by drainage from one of them after the prerinsing cycle.

Another object of the invention is to provide the tank having the outlet with a screen for its inlet to prevent the entry of any food waste which might tend to plug the outlet and thus prevent subsequent unbalancing of the tanks to prevent making the detergent available for the washing cycle.

The foregoing objects, advantages and features of the present invention, together with various other objects, advantages and features thereof Which will become apparent, may be attained with the exemplary embodiments of the invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and which are described in detail hereinafter. Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a utility view on a reduced scale showing a detergent dispenser of the invention mounted on the inside of a door of a front-opening dishwasher;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the detergent dispenser illustrated in Fig. 1 and is taken in the direction indicated by the arrow 2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the arrowed line 3--3 of Fig. 2 and illustrating the upright position yof the detergent dispenser in solid lines and the inverted position thereof in broken lines;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken along the arrowed line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention designed to be mounted on a dish rack of a dishwasher, although it will be understood that it may be mounted in other locations, and that the previous embodiment may also be mounted in other locations;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the arrowed line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the arrowed line 7 7 of Fig. 6 and illustrating the upright position of this embodiment in solid lines and the inverted position thereof in broken lines; and

Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary sectional views respectively taken along the arrowed lines 8 8 and 9-9 of Fig. 6 of the drawings.

Considering rst the embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in Figs. l to 4 of the drawings, the numeral designates a dishwasher which may be of any suitable type and which, as is conventional, includes an agitator, not shown, for propelling liquid throughout the interior of a dish chamber or vat, not shown, incorporated in the dishwasher, the liquid preferably being plain water during the prerinsing cycle, and being a washing solution composed of water and a suitable detergent during the washing cycle. The agitator incorporated in the dishwater 1) may be of any suitable type, i. e., it may be of the propeller type, the rotary sprayer type, or the like.

In the particular construction illustrated, the dishwasher 10 is of the front-opening type and includes a door 12 which is pivoted adjacent its lower edge for movement between an upright position wherein it closes the entrance to the dish chamber, and a generally horizontal, open position, not shown. The numeral 14 designates generally one embodiment of the detergent disi penser of the invention, which is shown mounted on the inner surface of and inwardly of the door 12.

As best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, the door 12 includes a panel 16 having an opening 18 therethrough, and encircling the opening 18 on the outer side of the panel is a mount 2i? for the detergent dispenser 14. A gasket 22 is disposed between the mount 20 and the panel 16, and the mount is secured to the panel by screws 24. The mount is provided with a recess 26 and carries a pivot pin 28 which projects through the recess 26 and the opening 18 into the interior of the dish chamber. The detergent dispenser 14 includes a pivoted structure having a hub 32 in which the pivot pin 28 is journaled and which extends through the opening 18 into the recess 26.

The pivoted structure 30 includes a detergent receptacle 34 between two tanks 36 and 38, and is rotatable or pivotable between an upright position, shown in solid lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and an inverted position, shown in broken lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The hub 32 is located between the tanks 36 and 38 adjacent the bottom-s thereof so that the pivoted structure 30 hangs from the pivot pin 28 when it is in its inverted position. A stop 4t), Fig. 3, projects from the mount 20 through the opening 18 in the panel 16 and engages a stop or shoulder 41 Von the pivoted structure 30 to prevent rotation of the pivoted structure beyond its upright position in the clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the pivoted structure rotating from its upright position to its inverted position in the counteri clockwise direction. A stop or shoulder 42 on the pivoted structure 30 engages the bottom of the stop 40 on the vmount 2t) to limit movement of the pivoted structure 3i) beyond its inverted position in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

The receptacle 34 is provided with an inner wall 44 (inner with respect to the dish chamber within the dishwasher 10) having an opening 46 through which the receptacle may be filled with detergent, and through which detergent is discharged in a manner to be described. Considering the pivoted structure 38 in its upright position, the receptacle 34 is provided with a perforated bottom wall 48 through which water may ow, when the pivoted structure 30 is inverted, to wash a solid detergent out of the opening 46, the dispenser 14 being designed for use with a powdered or granular detergent in the particular construction illustrated. It a liquid detergent is used, the wall 48 will, of course, be imperforate. Still considering the pivoted structure 3i) in its upright posi- F tion, the receptacle 34 is provided with a top wall 58 which slopes upwardly and inwardly to the upper edge 52 of the inner wall 44 to aid in discharging the detergent into the dish chamber when the pivoted structure 30 is inverted.

The pivoted structure 30 is provided with a lug 54 to which a cover 56 for the opening 46 is connected by a pivot pin 58. When the pivoted structure 30 is upright, the cover 56 closes the opening 46, the action of gravity maintaining a flange 60 on the cover in engagement with the edge 52 of the inner wall 44 to maintain the cover in its closed position. When the pivoted structure 39 is inverted, the action of gravity pivots the cover 56 into the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, movement of the cover beyond the open position shown being prevented by engagement of the flange 60 with a stop 62 on the lug 54.

The tank 36 is provided at its upper end with an inlet 64, which may be the open upper end of the tank. The tank 36 is not provided with an outlet.

The tank 38 is larger than the tank 36 so that it has a greater capacity than the tank 36, the hub 32 of the pivoted structure 30 being so located that the pivoted structure is heavier on the side of the tank 38 than on the side of the tank 36. The tank 38 is provided with an inlet 66 corresponding to the inlet 64 of the tank 36, and is provided with a small drainage outlet 68, the outlet 68 being much smaller than the inlet 66 so that the tank 38 can be lled much faster than it can be drained. In order to prevent food waste from entering the tank 38 to plug the outlet 68, the inlet 66 is provided with an inlet screen 7tl.

Considering the operation of the detergent dispenser 14, with the door 12 in its open position, a charge of detergent is placed in the receptacle 34, the charge of detergent being placeable in the receptacle 34 readily since the opening 46 into the receptacle is horizontal, or substantially horizontal, under such conditions. Before the door 12 is closed, the pivoted structure 30 is rotated into its upright position and the cover S6 of the receptacle 34 is closed. When the door 12 is closed, the pivoted structure 30 will remain in its upright position against the stop 40 because of the fact that the pivoted structure is heavier on the side of the tank 38. The action of gravity keeps the cover 56 closed, the ange 60 on the cover seating on the edge 52 of the wall 44.

When operation of the dishwasher 10 is initiated under the foregoing conditions, water used for prerinsing the dishes enters both tanks 36 and 38 through their respective inlets 64 and 66, regardless of whether the prerinsing is accomplished by an overhead spray, or by a spray induced by the agitator. Since the outlet 68 is small, and since the tank 38 is larger than the tank 36, the tank 38 will always contain at least as much water as the tank 36 so that the pivoted structure 30 will remain in its upright position throughout the prerinsing cycle. Consequently, no detergent will be dispensed during the prerinsing cycle.

At the conclusion of the prerinsing cycle, and while the water utilized for prerinsing the dishes is drained from the dishwasher 10, the water in the tank 38 drains therefrom slowly through the relatively small outlet 68. Eventually, and by the time the water used for prerinsing has been drained from the dishwasher 10, enough water drains from the tank 38 by way of the outlet 68 to unbalance the pivoted structure 30, whereupon it rotates into its inverted position. When this occurs, the cover 36 of the detergent receptacle 34 swings into its open position to dump the detergent into the dish chamber for use during the washing cycle, any detergent which sticks in the receptacle 34 being washed out of the receptacle by the washing solution during the washing cycle because of the presence of the perforated wall 48 of the receptacle. The size of the outlet 68 is such that the pivoted structure 30 becomes unbalanced after all of the water used during the prerinsing cycle has been drained from the dishwasher 10 and about the time that the water utilized during the washing cycle is introduced into the dishwasher, or shortly thereafter.

Thus, with the foregoing construction, it will be seen that the detergent dispenser 14 may be loaded with detergent prior to initiating operation of the dishwasher 10,

.his and the detergent will not be discharged into the dish chamber during the prerinsing cycle, but will be discharged after the prerinsing cycle for use during the subsequent washing cycle. Thus, the detergent dispenser cooperates with the dishwasher to make for fully automatic operation ofthe latter.

Turning now to a consideration of the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 to 9 of the drawings, fragmentarily i1- lustrated is a dish rack 112 of the dishwasher 10 on which a detergent dispenser 114 of the invention is adapted to be mounted. The detergent dispenser 114 includes a mount 120 which is adapted to be clamped to therack 112 by screws 124 extending therethrough into a plate 126. The mount 120 carries a pivot pin 128 for pvotally supporting a pivoted structure 130, the latter having a hub 132 through which the pivot pin extends.

The pivoted structure 130 includes a receptacle 134 having on opposite sides thereof tanks 136 and 138. The mount 120 provides a stop 140 with which stops 141 and 142 on the pivoted structure 130 are engageable to define upright and inverted positions of the pivoted structure.

The receptacle 134 is provided with an opening 146 in a top wall 150 thereof, the receptacle including a perforated or imperforate bottom wall 148 for the same purpose as the perforated or imperforate bottom wall 48 of the detergent dispenser 14. The opening 146 is closed by a cover 156 when the pivoted structure 130 is in its upright position, the cover being hinged to the receptacle along one edge of the cover being hinged to the receptacle biased closed by the action of gravity when the pivoted structure is upright. When the pivoted structure is inverted the cover 156 opens automatically in response to the action of gravity.

The tank 136 is provided with an inlet 164, and the tank 138 is provided with an inlet 166 and a relatively small drainage outlet 168, the inlet 166 preferably being provided with an inlet screen, not shown, corresponding to and for the same purpose as the inlet screen 70. As is the case with the -tanks 36 and 38, the tank 136 is smaller than the tank 138 and the pivot pin 128 is so located that the pivoted structure 130 is heavier on the side of the tank 138.

The operation of the detergent dispenser 114 is substantially identical to that of the dispenser 14 so that a detailed description will not be necessary.

Although I have disclosed exemplary embodiments of my invention herein for purposes of illustration, it will be understood that various changes, modifications and substitutions may be incorporated in such embodiments within the scope of the claims allowed to me and appearing hereinafter.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a dispenser, the combination of: a support; a structure including a receptacle for a material to be dispensed; means mounting said structure on said support for movement in either of two directions, said structure being movable in one of said directions from a generally upright, material retaining position of said receptacle to a material discharging position thereof; means on said structure and spaced from said receptacle for overbalancinv said structure in said one direction to produce movement thereof in said one direction from said material retaining position of said receptacle to said material discharging position thereof; and means for limiting movement of said structure in the other of said directions.

2. ln a dispenser, the combination of: a support; a structure including a receptacle for a material to be dispensed and including two tanks each having a fluid inlet; pivot means mounting said structure on said support for pivotal movement in either of two directions, said structure being pvotally movable in one of said directions from a generally upright, material retaining position of said receptacle to a material discharging position thereof; means for overbalancing said structure in said one direction to produce movement thereof in said one direction from said material retaining position of said receptacle to said material discharging position thereof, including a fluid drainage outlet in one of said tanks; and means for limiting pivotal movement of said structure in the other of said directions.

3. ln a dispenser, the combination of: a support; a structure including a receptacle for a material to be dispensed and including two tanks each having a uid inlet; pivot means mounting said structure on said support for pivotal movement in either of two directions, said strncture being pvotally movable in one of said directions from a generally upright, material retaining position of said receptacle to a material discharging position thereof; means for overbalancing said structure in said one direction to produce movement thereof in said one direction from said material retaining position of said receptacle to said material discharging position thereof, ncluding a uid drainage outlet in one of said tanks which is smaller than said fluid inlet therein; and means for limiting pivotal movement of said structure in the other of said directions.

4. In a dispenser, the combination of: a support; a structure including a receptacle for a material to be dispensed and including two tanks each having a fluid inlet; pivot means mounting said structure on said support for pivotal movement in either of two directions, said structure being pvotally movable in one of said directions from a generally upright, material retaining position of said receptacle to a material discharging position thereof; means for overbalancing said structure in said one direction to produce movement thereof in said one direction from said material retaining position of said receptacle to said material discharging position thereof, including a iiuid drainage outlet in one of said tanks which is smaller than said uid inlet therein; means for limiting pivotal movement of said structure in the other of said directions; and a cover for said receptacle pvotally connected to said structure and movable to an open position in response to movement of said structure from said material retaining position of said receptacle to said material discharging position thereof.

5. A dispenser according to claim 4 wherein said tanks are respectively disposed on opposite sides of said receptacle and wherein said pivot means is connected to said structure between said tanks adjacent the bottoms thereof, whereby said structure pivots in said one direction into an inverted material discharging position of said receptacle upon overbalancing of said structure.

6. A dispenser as defined in claim 4 wherein said means for limiting pivotal movement of said structure in said other direction includes interengageable stops on said structure and said support.

7. A dispenser as set forth in claim 4 wherein said one tank has a larger capacity than the other.

8. A dispenser according to claim 4 including an inlet screen covering said fluid inlet of said one tank.

9. A dispenser as set forth in claim 4 wherein said cover is so connected to said structure as to be biased closed by the action of gravity when said structure is in said generally upright, material retaining position, and to be biased open by the action of gravity when said structure is in said material discharging position.

10. A dispenser according to claim 4 wherein said receptacle is provided with a perforated bottom wall.

ll. A dispenser according to claim 4 wherein said receptacle is provided with an imperforate bottom wall.

l2. In a dispenser, the combination of: a support; a structure including a receptacle for a material to be dispensed; pivot means mounting said structure on said support, said structure being pivotable in one direction from a material retaining position of said receptacle to a material discharging position thereof; means on said structure spaced from said receptacle for overbalancing said structure in said one direction to produce movement thereof from said material retaining position of said receptacle pensed and including two tanks each having a fluid inlet;

pivot means mounting said structure on said support, said structure being pivotable in one direction from a material retaining position of said receptacle to a material discharging position thereof; means for overoalancing said structure in said one direction to produce movement of said receptacle from said material retaining position to said material .discharging position, including means for varying the relative Weights of uid in said tanks; and means for limiting'pivotal movement of said structure in the opposite direction.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,891,032 Venable Dec. 13, 1932 2,463,811 Schulze Mar. 8, 1949 2,711,178 Sharp et al. June 21, 1955 

